Purification of Spirit through Fasting and Alms giving
Dear friends, at every moment the earth is full of the mercy of God, and nature itself is a lesson for all the faithful in the worship of God. The heavens, the sea and all that is in them bear witness to the goodness and omnipotence of their Creator, and the marvelous beauty of the elements as they obey him demands from the intelligent creation a fitting expression of its gratitude.
But with the return of that season marked out in a special way by the mystery of our redemption, and of the days that lead up to the paschal feast, we are summoned more urgently to prepare ourselves by a purification of spirit.
The special note of the paschal feast is this: the whole Church rejoices in the forgiveness of sins. It rejoices in the forgiveness not only of those who are then reborn in holy baptism but also of those who are already numbered among God’s adopted children.
Dear friends, what the Christian should be doing at all times should be done now with greater care and devotion, so that the Lenten fast enjoined by the apostles may be fulfilled, not simply by abstinence from food but above all by the renunciation of sin.
“Without the burden of afflictions it is impossible to reach the height of grace. The gift of grace increases as the struggle increases.” – St. Rose of Lima
Francisco and Jacinta Marto are among the youngest saints of the Catholic Church. Francisco was 9 and Jacinta 7 when Our Lady of Fatima appeared to them in 1917. Francisco died only two years later and Jacinta the following year—one hundred years ago today. Despite their young age, they lived incredibly holy lives after seeing Our Lady. Known today as the Fatima children, they show us that even young children can live extraordinarily holy lives and do great things for God.
Francisco and Jacinta Marto were the youngest siblings in a Portuguese family of seven children. Along with their cousin Lucia, they took care of their family’s sheep. Francisco had a placid disposition, some musical talent, and enjoyed being alone. He also liked playing games with other children but wasn’t competitive, and often gave up treasured possessions rather than fight for them. He liked animals, playing with snakes and lizards (to his mother’s horror), and once buying a captive bird for a penny to set it free.
Jacinta was affectionate, emotional and spoiled, and also enjoyed music and dancing. She pouted if she wasn’t given her own way and was jealous of Lucia’s attention. When Lucia was sent out to watch the sheep, Jacinta moped until she was allowed to go with Lucia and the sheep too. She loved flowers, often gathering armfuls to make garlands for Lucia. She also loved their sheep, naming them and playing with the lambs.
In 1916, Jacinta, Francisco and Lucia were watching their sheep when an angel appeared to them. He said he was the Angel of Peace and asked them to pray with him. He taught them to pray, “My God, I believe, I adore, I hope and I love You! I ask pardon of You for those who do not believe, do not adore, do not hope and do not love You!”
Lucia later said that “the presence of God made itself felt so intimately and so intensely that we did not even venture to speak to one another” (Fatima in Lucia’s Own Words). They remained enveloped in this supernatural atmosphere for some time, and still felt it the next day. They didn’t mention it to anyone, for the Apparition felt too intimate, too hard to speak about.
The Angel of Peace appeared to them again and told them to pray much and to make sacrifices. When Lucia questioned him about how they were to make sacrifices, he said, “Make of everything you can a sacrifice, and offer it to God as an act of reparation for the sins by which He is offended, and in supplication for the conversion of sinners.” The children then began to give their lunch to the sheep or to poor children, and to pray for hours at a time, and to offer other mortification to God .
In the book of Proverbs Solomon tells us: If you cry out for wisdom and raise your voice for understanding, if you look for it as for silver and search for it as for treasure, then you will understand the fear of the Lord.
We must begin by crying out for wisdom. We must hand over to our intellect the duty of making every decision. We must look for wisdom and search for it. Then we must understand the fear of the Lord .. For us the fear of God consists wholly in love .. Our love for God is entrusted with its own responsibility: to observe his counsels, to obey his laws, to trust his promises.
We must ask for these many ways, we must travel along these many ways, to find the one that is good. That is, we shall find the one way of eternal life through the guidance of many teachers. These ways are found in the law, in the prophets, in the gospels, in the writings of the apostles, in the different good works by which we fulfill the commandments. Blessed are those who walk these ways in the fear of the Lord.
